Follow us

The South's Best Bakeries: Cookies

One pleasure of adulthood is reaching into the cookie jar again and again without anyone smacking your hand. Sure, cookies are some of the easiest desserts to whip up at home, but a top-notch bakery thrills with its sheer number of choices: chunky, nutty, fudgy, spicy—and hopefully warm from the oven!

One pleasure of adulthood is reaching into the cookie jar again and again without anyone smacking your hand. Sure, cookies are some of the easiest desserts to whip up at home, but a top-notch bakery thrills with its sheer number of choices: chunky, nutty, fudgy, spicy—and hopefully warm from the oven!

Fluff Bake BarHouston, TXParis-trained Rebecca Masson, who recently competed on Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts, is the queen of the sugar fix. Find her creations at Revival Market, or order online.Why we're sweet on it: Rebecca updates retro desserts for modern palates.Order this: Fluffernutters and Concord grape macarons—together, they're the ultimate PB&J combo. Mail order available; fluffbakebar.com, revivalmarket.com

Merridee's BreadbasketFranklin, TNThe quaintness of this wood-beamed bakery, housed in a 1901 building, epitomizes Franklin, a town that prizes its history. Original owner Merridee McCray's recipes still circulate among the panoply of cookies and pies.Why we're sweet on it: The cookies, in flavors like chocolate chip and molasses, honor old-timey goodness without descending into hokum.Order this: Tea cakes, an old-fashioned variation on a sugar cookie. Hold with two hands, childlike, and nibble slowly. merridees.com